Danelectro '67 Heaven Electric Guitar Review

Back in the late 1950s, in an effort to
reduce the cost of its already inexpensive
guitars, Danelectro began dabbling
with an interesting semi-hollow design. The
new construction method, which incorporated
a Masonite top and back attached to
a plywood frame, put the guitars within
reach of budding young rockers. But in
an unexpected upside, it also created a
wealth of distinctive sonorities. Despite the
bargain-basement prices, top-shelf players
were drawn to Danelectros and their bright,
idiosyncratic twang. Jimmy Page used a
1959 DC in his work as a session guitarist
and for playing select tunes live with
Led Zeppelin. More recently, Ira Kaplan
and Yo La Tengo released a single called
“Danelectro,” and Nels Cline had a selection
of vintage Danos at his disposal for his
album Instrumentals.

Danelectro has been owned by the Evets
Corporation since the late 1990s, and there
have been a lot of near-exact reproductions
of the brand’s classic guitars over the
last decade or so—including the 1959 DC
that Page played. In the last few years, the
company has even reissued more obscure
models such as the Hornet. With the new
’67 Heaven, Danelectro delivers an updated
take on the student-model Hawk that was
originally produced in the late 1960s. It features
souped-up pickups and better hardware
than the originals, but it retains the original’s
modest price tag and old-school vibe.

Upgraded Features
The ’67 Heaven is similar to the old Hawk
in several key respects—it has an asymmetric,
offset semi-hollow body with those
trademark vinyl side strips, two single-coil
pickups with lipstick covers, a single-ply
white pickguard, and a set of two concentric
knobs that control volume and tone for
each pickup. But there are critical differences
between the re-issue and the originals,
too. The neck on the ’67 Heaven is affixed
to the body with four bolts as opposed to
three, and it also has an adjustable, double-acting
truss rod rather than a fixed one. It
also has 21 frets rather than 18.

The bridge pickup offers an awesomely sharp twang that happily hangs out on the country end of the spectrum

Like most recent Danelectro guitars,
the ’67 Heaven features hardware that’s a
definite improvement over vintage models
in terms of adjustability and practicality.
Though some hardcore Dano fans might
insist that the 1-piece bridge and fixed
wood saddle of old were integral to getting
the vintage Danelectro sound, today’s
average player will likely appreciate that the
new, more substantial bridges that have six
saddles you can adjust for both intonation
and string height are infinitely more usable.
And instead of the crappy six-on-a-plate
tuners of yore, the ’67 Heaven uses individual
Kluson-style machines.

In another deviation from tradition, the
’67 Heaven is available in four different
“alligator” finishes—red, blue, orange, and
creme—each with a matching headstock.
The textured faux-reptilian appearance
was a sort of antecedent to the krinkle finish
used on Danelectro’s Coral Sitar. This
rather more heavy-handed twist on the idea
might scare off those who prefer a vintage-correct
look, but luckily such players can
also choose a plain black gloss finish.

As on the originals, the Heaven’s outer
control knobs are red plastic to match the
finish—a smart detail that makes the white
inner knob pop visually. It would have been
cool if Danelectro were to have retained
the original raised script metal logo on the
headstock but instead there’s a silkscreened
logo that looks more contemporary and
cost effective.

Fretwork on our review guitar was without
the roughness at the ends that’s all too
common on guitars in this price range,
but the crowns could’ve been a little more
smoothly polished. A little more attention
to detail would have helped at the neck
pocket, which has a rough edge and is cut
a little too wide for the neck—a situation
that could result in extra strain on the four
screws that hold the neck in place. Also, it
sounds as though there’s something loose
rolling around inside of the guitar, a problem
that could have arisen in shipping, but
which is disconcerting all the same.

Slinky Gator
Anything the ’67 Heaven lacks in craftsmanship
at the detail level it makes up for
in playability and sound. Unlike the skimpy
necks of the past, this one, with its classic C
profile and 1.68" nut, has ample girth without
being cumbersome. Action is as easy as
can be—1/16" of an inch at the 12th fret
on the sixth string—and it feels effortless
to play stretchy, barre and thumb-fretted
chords as well as speedy lead lines.

Ratings

Pros: Vintage styling and sweet sounds with modern playability.

Cons: Iffy neck pocket. Some minor construction issues, including slight gaps between body and parts of the pickguard.

The semi-hollow build makes the ’67
Heaven feel lively before you ever plug it in.
The notes ring true and clear, though there
is a slight buzzing at the lowest frets on
the sixth string. Still, you can bend strings
beyond a whole step without experiencing
any fretting out, and tuning remained stable
after both deep bends and rubberier alternate
tunings like DADGAD and open G.

Plugged into a Fender Pro Junior, the
’67 does not disappoint in the slightest. The
neck pickup, while actually further from
the neck than on a lot of electric guitars,
is at once warm and brilliant—perfect for
all kinds of roots-rock stylings. The bridge
pickup offers an awesomely sharp twang
that happily hangs out on the country
end of the spectrum. Engaged in tandem,
the pickups—which are wired in parallel
rather than in series—lend a meatiness and
definition to your notes. All the pickup
configurations pair nicely with distortion,
too—in this case, a cranked Ibanez Tube
Screamer—without any stridency or loss of
harmonic clarity.

The Verdict
In the ’67 Heaven, Danelectro offers a guitar
that retains the sonic and stylistic essence
of a late-1960s classic but improves considerably
on its functionality. Like the originals,
it’s surprisingly at home in a variety
of musical settings. And its sonic versatility
and off-kilter but distinctly vintage looks
mean it’s likely to end up in the hands of
everyone from garage rockers to blues, roots,
and Americana players. Considering how
increasingly hard it is to find a good-playing
original Dano Hawk, anyone interested in
exploring the Dano vibe, sound, and feel
would be remiss if they didn’t at least audition
a ’67 Heaven. It’s a cool little guitar,
and there’s a lot more going on than you
might guess. Indeed, surprises await, and
they go way beyond that alligator finish.

Adam Perlmutter is a freelance writer, transcriber, and engraver living in Culver City, California. He contributes to Premier Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Guitar Aficionado, and other music magazines, and has written a number of instructional books, including Color Your Chords (Cherry Lane) and Jim Hall: Signature Licks (Hal Leonard).

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